The Chilean left has been reborn in spectacular fashion. In a presidential race that was widely written off as a ceremonial victory for conservative candidate Sebastían Piñera and further evidence of the subcontinent’s rightward drift, the unexpected performance of Frente Amplio’s youth-driven, radical campaign has thrown that interpretation into question. Case in point: Frente Amplio’s presidential candidate Beatriz Sánchez narrowly missed a spot in the runoff against Piñera, coming within two points of beating out the centrist incumbent candidate Alejandro Guillier.

Among the Frenteamplistas who will now be looking to shake the foundations of the Chilean political establishment — a hollow shell of progressivism concealing the legacy of Pinochet — is Juan Ignacio Latorre, Frente Amplio’s first member in the Senate. On the eve of the runoff elections, we spoke to Senator Latorre in Valparaiso and discussed Frente’s origins, the inspiration provided by Spain’s Podemos, and Frente Amplio’s plans going forward as it looks to challenge Chile’s center-left and right-wing parties.